Performance order for World Class-centric events through July 17 and Open Class and All-Age events through August 2 has now been set for the 2026 DCI Summer Tour. While the process is primarily based on competitive finish from the 2025 DCI World Championships, other factors also come into play.
SoundSport teams when appearing as part of a DCI Tour event lineup are slated at the top of the event. Other performing corps are separated into classes (World Class, Open Class World Championship participants, Open Class non-World Championship participants, All-Age Class), then into groups of three (first through third, fourth through sixth, etc.).
Performance order is then randomized within those groupings as applicable. For example, as 2025’s top-three finishers Boston Crusaders, Bluecoats and Santa Clara Vanguard exist in one grouping of three, and they will have performance order randomized at any head-to-head events prior to July 18.
Pre-July 18 performance order worksheet
To help illustrate the systems in place for 2026 DCI Tour performance order selection at aforementioned events, consider a sample event featuring the following corps: Bluecoats, Santa Clara Vanguard, The Cavaliers, Troopers, Colts, Blue Knights, Gold, The Battalion, Impulse, Golden Empire, Heat Wave, Hawthorne Caballeros, Cincinnati Tradition and Northern Lights.
Corps are first separated into classes. This sample lineup features six World Class corps, two Open Class championship participants, two Open Class non-championship participants, and three All-Age corps.
Within these classes, corps are organized into their respective groups of three, based on 2025 competitive finish. Order would be randomized between Bluecoats (2nd in 2025) and Santa Clara Vanguard (3rd), as they fall into the same grouping of three amongst 2025’s World Class competitors. The Cavaliers (9th) would follow next, with Troopers (10th), Colts (11th) and Blue Knights (12th) all randomized, as they fall into the same trio. Next would be a random draw between Gold (2nd in Open Class) and The Battalion (3rd). A full draw between Impulse, Golden Empire, and Heat Wave wraps up the Open Class block. All-Age corps round out the lineup, ordered by their competitive placement in 2025.
Following these steps, the performance order for this example event may look as follows:
ALL-AGE
1. Northern Lights
2. Cincinnati Tradition
3. Hawthorne Caballeros
OPEN CLASS NON-CHAMPIONSHIP
4. Impulse
5. Heat Wave
6. Golden Empire
OPEN CLASS CHAMPIONSHIP
7. The Battalion
8. Gold
WORLD CLASS
9. Colts
10. Troopers
11. Blue Knights
12. The Cavaliers
13. Bluecoats
14. Santa Clara Vanguard
Mid- and end-of-season events
Performance order for key DCI Premier Events and other DCI Tour events after July 17, will be figured by the following:
- Order for the DCI Southwestern Championship in San Antonio (July 18), will be based on reverse order of placement from July 11 events in Little Rock, Pasadena, and Whitewater, and drawn at random in groups of threes. Corps not appearing in any of those events will be placed in the order based on their last score received.
- At all weekday events following July 18 in San Antonio, as well as select weekend events, performance order will be based on reverse order of placement from the DCI Southwestern Championship and drawn at random in groups of three.
- Performance order for the DCI Southeastern Championship (July 25 in Atlanta) and Midwestern Championship (July 25 in DeKalb, Illinois) will be based on reverse order of score from July 18 in San Antonio and drawn at random in groupings of three.
- DCI Eastern Classic (July 31–August 1 in Allentown) performance orders will be based on reverse order of placement from the DCI Southeastern Championship (Atlanta) and Midwest Classic (DeKalb). For corps not performing in one of those two events, their last score July 25 or earlier will be used. Final order will be drawn at random, in groupings of three.
- Open Class World Championship Prelims (August 3 in Dayton, OH) performance order will be determined by the average of each corps’ top-two scores earned at Open Class events between July 18 and August 2.
- Order of appearance at the DCI World Championship Prelims (August 6 in Indianapolis) will be based on the reverse order of scores averaged from events in San Antonio, Atlanta, DeKalb, and Allentown. Open Class participants will be seeded in the first blocks of performing corps based on reverse order of finish from Open Class Championship events. In the event a corps is not scheduled to appear in a major regional event, their last score received prior to that regional event will be used for averaging purposes.
- Order of appearance at the All-Age World Championship Prelims (August 7 in Indianapolis) will be based on the reverse order of each corps’ highest score of the season.
- The Open Class World Championship Finals (Open Class Prelims), DCI World Championship Semifinals (Prelims), DCI All-Age World Championship Finals (All-Age Prelims), and DCI World Championship Finals (Semifinals) are based on reverse order of finish from the preceding event mentioned in parenthesis.
